Bascule Brewery moving forward in Lorain

Brewmaster Chris Kambouris grabs a glass of his handcrafted beer in what is to become the brew room of his and business partner Fred Lozano Jr.’s Bascule Brewery and Public House, 1397 Colorado Ave.
Eric Bonzar—The Morning Journal

As an homage to the second largest bascule bridge in the United States, Bascule Brewery and Public House co-owners Chris Kambouris and Fred Lozano Jr. have given their joint-venture the namesake of the Lorain landmark which carries route U.S. 6 over the Black River--The Charles Berry Bascule Bridge.
Eric Bonzar—The Morning Journal

This year Anheuser-Busch earned public attention for its television commercial prepared for the Super Bowl.

The one-minute advertisement recreated the travails of brewer Adolphus Busch emigrating from Germany to the United States, where he would meet Eberhard Anheuser. The pair would go on to make history in the business of beer.

In 2017, Budweiser is far from the only beer on store shelves as beer aficionados have started craft breweries around the country.

Soon two entrepreneurs hope to open the doors of one in Lorain.

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The Bascule Brewery and Public House LLC was founded by Lorain native Fred Lozano Jr. and Chris Kambouris, a Youngstown native.

The pair are working to get their brewery opened at 1397 Colorado Ave. in Lorain. It could be the first brewery to make beer and open a public tasting room in Lorain in decades.

The start

Kambouris and Lozano met through a mutual acquaintance in early summer 2015.

Lozano, the son of former Lorain Councilman Fred Lozano, has a long family history in Lorain. His family and city have pride and a great work ethic, Kambouris said.

With experience in production breweries, Kambouris said he was looking for an opportunity to start a business, but he knew little about Lorain.

“I was totally naive to what this area was like,” Kambouris said. Although he was expecting a bustling town, Lozano told him the truth: “It was, but it took a hit.”

“Coming from Youngstown, that didn’t scare me away,” Kambouris said.

Youngstown already has had several waves of revitalization efforts, he said.

“Whereas here in Lorain, there’s so much inspirational material here to work with, there’s every reason to open up a brewery in Lorain,” Kambouris said. “I guess that’s what I’m trying to say here, a brewery is not just some novel business you decide to put into a successful area. Yeah, you could do that, but why would I want to do something that’s already been done?”

Evolving quickly

The Bascule Brewery already has evolved within Lorain.

Although Kambouris and Lozano first considered locating on Broadway, they found a workable space at the former M & M Mower building at the corner of Colorado and Kansas avenues. Kambouris estimated there is about 1,700 square feet of retail space and about 700 square feet for a brewing area.

There are steel barrels that will become the kettles brewing about 210 gallons of beer a week. Kambouris is refining their recipes.

For any brewery, a basic menu likely will have beers that are light, dark, hoppy and seasonal, he said.

Bascule Brewery patrons could drink glasses and fill growlers to take home. The brewers would consider bottling or selling beer for some local restaurants, but likely would not sell bottles for a normal grocery store.

Lorain County has a health agricultural economy and would like to tap into that. Kambouris noted now is maple season and that would be an excellent ingredient to add to beer.

Making a brewery

The pair have amassed a collection of supplies that eventually will make a brewery.

Among the items are Kambouris’ family table from his youth. There are wood pallets stacked on a concrete floor that needs polishing.

Kambouris has obtained brick and tile from the renovation of a church near his Youngstown-area home.

“I apologize, it looks like a bomb went off,” he said on a recent visit. But a picture is beginning to emerge through the stacked materials.

But if you look between the clutter, the picture starts to come through, Kambouris said.

The Bascule Brewery takes its name from Lorain’s iconic bridge over the Black River.

Its logo was designed so it could be cut from a single sheet of metal. The brewery already has one metal version of the sign donated by the Lorain steelworker to show encouragement, Kambouris said.

“I definitely wanted something easily recognizable, but I wanted it to almost look like it was issued by the Port Authority itself,” he said. “I wanted that feel like, if you were a 19th century immigrant or something like that, and you’re just looking for, Where is the nearest place to warm your feet and get a pint? This obviously would immediately get that message across.”

Bascule Brewery has made beer, but not sold it. The brewers are waiting for the proper state licenses to sell their products.

With one bathroom in the building, the brewery needs a second one, and at least one must be handicap-accessible, Kambouris said. That project is a basic necessity and enough renovation that it needs architectural drawings, building permits and a contractor.

For now Kambouris and Lozano will continue to invest their money and raise more by appealing to anyone who wants to own a piece of a brewery in Lorain.

“I’ve never understood why, if so many people want something, why we can’t make it work?” Kambouris said. “This is me putting that theory to the test.”